Driving mechanism for engraving-machines.



( No Model.)

Patehted Oct. l6, I900. J. PLACE & c; w. PASHLEY.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR ENGRAVING MACHINES.

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1399'.)

m 5 fiigum. M22146 1% larsflzfiljatz n I 4 Q I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN PLACE AND CHARLES WALTER PASHLEY, OF BROADHEATH, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO THE LINOTYPE COMPANY, LIMITED, OF

LONDON, ENGLAND.

DRIVING MECHANISM FOR ENGRAVlNG-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,763, dated October 16, 1900. Application filed April 10, 1899. Serial No. 712,566. (No model.)

To ml], whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN PLACE and CHARLES WALTER PASHLEY, of Broadheath,

in the county of Chester, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Driving Mechanism of Engravers Quills; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in the driving mechanism of engravers quills, such as those of the engraving-machine described in the specification of British Patent No. 11,938, dated June 19, 1895. A reference thereto shows that the quills are short, that each is in one piece, that it turns in bearings at each end, and that it is driven by a band passed around a driving-pulley fast on it between the said bearings. It has since become the practice to make the bottom bearin gs in a bridge-piece extending from one vertical post to another and the top bearings in a second bridge-piece supported by the same posts, the driving-pulleys being mounted upon the tops of the respective quills which stand up above the top bridge-piece to receive them. That arrangement is faulty in that the driving-bands pull the quills over, causing excessive friction, and consequently much heat, which latter spreads to the bottom bridge-piece and distorts it, consequently making the quills rotate out of truth. The pull of the driving-bands has further the effect of wearing the top bearings eccentrically, and this eccentric wear does more even than the heat to spoil the rotation of the quills.

The objects of the present invention are, first, to prevent the heat generated in the top bridge spreading down the quills into the bottom bridge, and, secondly, to prevent the above-mentioned eccentric wear spoiling the rotation of the quills in the bottom bridge. The means by which they are attained will be found fully described in this specification and afterward claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as part of this specification and read therewith, Figure l is a front elevation, partly in section; Fig. 2, a plan corresponding with Fig. 1, but having a portion of the top bridge-piece broken away; Fig. 3, an end elevation of Fig. 1 from the. right; Figs. 4 and 5, respectively, a horizontal section taken on the line 44 of Fig.1 and a plan of the disk upon the top of a quill; Fig. 6, a detail front elevation, on an enlarged scale, of a device for putting one quill of a series out of gear; Fig. 7, a detail side elevation of a modified device for moving the top bridge up or down; and Fig. 8, a horizontal section taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7, looking at'the latter from the right hand. Fig. .9 is a plan of a bush of one of the spindles that drive the quills. I

1 is the fixed bridge-piece. Its ends 1 1 are bent backward to facilitate its fixation to the machine, and 2 2 are bolt-holes in the said ends, through which are passed the devices which hold it in its working position to the said machine, as heretofore.

3 3 are two vertical posts fast by their bottom ends to the respective ends 1 1 of the bridge-piece l and standing up vertically therefrom. a

4 is the top bridge-piece. It stands immediately over the bottom one 1 and parallel with it. Its ends 4 4 are bent back to connect wit-h the posts 3 3, respectively. Heretofore this top bar has been fixed at a definite distance from the bottom one 1, above described; but according to the present invention it must be supported by the machine in such a way that it can be readily moved away from or toward the fixed bridgepiece 1. The mechanism for so moving it, as well as the supports on which it is moved, may be of any well-known and suitable type, and an experienoed mechanic will easily adapt one. According to the one illustrated, the said bridgepiece 4 has a socket 5 at each end of it, which socket fits over the respective posts 3, so that it can be moved up and down them. The drawings show two different mechanisms for so moving the said bridge-piece 4. One of the other in Figs. 7 and 8.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, 6 is a vertical rack let into the rear side of each post 3. 7 '7 are a'pair of lugs fast to and projecting rearwardly from each socket 5, one lug on these is illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 and each side of the rack 6. The four lugs 7 have hearings in them to receive a spindle 8,which turns freely therein. 9 9 are pinions between the two lugs 7 7 of each pair, the respective racks (i and having the spindle 8 passed through them. Both pinions 9 are made fast to the spindle 8, so that they must rotate with it. 10 is a collar fast on one end of the spindle 8 outside the respective pair of lugs 7. 11 is a milled head fast on the opposite end of the said spindle outside the respective pair of lugs 7 to serve as a means for turning the spindle 8 to raise or lower the top bridge-piece 4 by means of the engagement of the pinions 9 9 with the racks 6 6.

Referring to Figs. 7 and 8, 12 12 are a series of equal and equidistant socketsset columnwise in the rear face of each post 3, those of one set being respectively on a level with those of the other. 7' is a rearwardly-projecting lug fast on each socket 5, and 13 is a bolt capable of sliding in a horizontal socket 14in the lug 7. The nose of the bolt 13 is shaped to enter the particular socket 12 opposite which it may happen to be and into which it would then be forced by a spiral spring 15,resilient within the said bolt-socket 14 between therear end of the bolt 13 and a screw 16, which closes the rear end of the socket 14. 17 is a lever pivoted on afulcrum 18 and having one end engaged in a slot 43 in the bolt 13 and the other projecting above the lug 7 in order that it can be rocked forward to withdraw the bolt 13. To change the position of the bridge-piece 4 with reference to the bridge-piece 1, both bolts 13 are withdrawn from their respective sockets 12 by pressing the projecting arms of the levers 17 toward the respective posts 3, the bridgepiece 4 moved in the desired direction until the noses of both bolts 13 are opposite the pair of sockets 12 corresponding with the desired position of the said bridge-piece, and the lever 17 released, whereupon the springs will force the noses of the bolts 13 into the last-mentioned sockets.

The bridge-pieces 1 and 4 are shown in the figures as long enough between the posts 3 3 to receive six quills 21 and as many spindles 19, driving-pulleys, and pin and notched disk devices; but the number is not aifected by the invention. It may be any from unity upward; The sockets 20, which receive the bushes 26 of the spindles 19, are deeper than thethickness of the bridge-piece 4 by the presence on the top of the latter of raised bearing-surfaces integral with it and which have the effect of providing for a longer bush. The thickness of the bridgepiece 1 is doubled between the posts 3 and has likewise raised bearing-surfaces 25 for collars on the quills 2lto rest upon. Each spindle is coaxial with the respective quill 21; but the two are not continuous with each other nor do they touch each other directly and not indirectly over a surface as large as their cross-section.

A spindle 19 is mounted in its socket 20, as

.21 bya pin 41.

follows: That socket has a larger diameter on its under side than on its top. It receives a corresponding tapered bush 2b, which is gearing wdtlTT'ong enough to stand above the top of the bridge-piece 4 when it is in working position and in which position it is held by a nut 27, which is screwed down the upstanding and screw-threaded end of the bu sh 26 against the respective surface 23. The bush 26 is split and grooved vertically, as shown in Fig. 9. 28 is the driving-pulley, held to the said spindle 19 by being passed over its upstanding end and pinched between the nut 27 and a second one 29, which is screwed down the screw-threaded top end of the said spindle 19, the pulley revolving upon the nut 27 and carrying the respective spindle 19 with it.

The general construction of aquill 21 is as heretofore.

30 is a tapered bush held by ascrew-thread 31 to a sleeve 44, which in its turn is held by a screw-thread 32 to a collar 33, resting on a surface 25, to which it is held by any suitable device, such as a pair of studs 36, fast to the collar and engaging in a pair of holes 37 in the respective surface 25.

38 is a disk fast upon the bottom end of a spindle 19. In diameter it is in uch larger than the said spindle. 39 39 are pins fast to the disk 38 near its edge, one standing thereon opposite to the other and both parallel with the axis of the spindle 19. y 9 40 is a disk held fast upon the top of a quill It is concentric with and therefore opposite the disk 37.

42 42 are a pair of holes in the disk 40, adapted to receive the bottom ends of the pins 39 39. It is through the disk 38, pins 39 39, holes 42, and disk 40 thali the rotary motion of the spindle 19 is communicated to the quill 21.

With reference to the first pbject of the invention, it is pointed out that whatever may be the heat generated between a spindle 19 and its bush 26 it can only reach the respective quill 21 by passing through a disk 38, a pair of pins 39, and a disk 40. According to the present invention the joint transverse sectional area of the pair 0t pins 39 is much smaller than the transverse sectional area of the spindle 19, thereby impeding the passage of the said heat, while thel joint superficial areas of the disks 38 and 4p and the pair of pins 39 is much larger, thereby conducing to the escape of that heat to the surrounding air.

With reference to the second object of the invention, it is pointed out that as the holes 42 are larger than the pins 39 it follows that if the bearing of a spindle 19 does become eccentric the above-described loose fit between the pins 39 and the respective disk 40 will compensate for that instead of imparting the irregular rotation of the spindle 19 to the quill 21. The quills 21 are put out of gear by moving the bridge-piece 4 upward on the posts 3 3 until the pins 39 are free of the holes 42 and put into gear again by lowering the top bridge-piece 4 until the pins 39 enin the respective holes 42 again.

To facilitate the reengagement of the pins 39 with the respective disks 40, there is a second pair of holes 42 in each disk at right angles with the holes 42, as illustrated in full lines in Fig. 5 and in dotted lines in Fig. 3.

To provide for any one or more of the quills 21 being thrown out of gear while all the others are left in gear, there are substituted for each pin 39 a tube 39 and bolt 45, as illus' trated in Fig. 6. Each tube 39 is made fast to the respective disk 38 in the same way as a pin 39; but it is sufioiently shorter than the latter to stop short of the respective disk 40 when the quill 21 is in gear. The engaging and disengaging device is a bolt 45, which slides tightly in the tube 39 andis moved up and down therein to make it engage and disengage in the respective hole 42 by a thumbbit 46, fast to the said bolt and projecting radially outward for a sufficient distance for the purpose through a slot 47 in the side of the tube 39 We claim 1. The hereinbefore-described combination of fixed bridge-piece; a quill adapted to turn in a bearing therein; a movable bridge-piece 2. The hereinbefore-described combination of fixed bridge-piece; a quill adapted to turn in a bearing therein; a movable top bridgepieoe parallel with the said fixed bridge-piece; fixed supports on which it can be moved away from or toward the said fixed bridge-piece; mechanism for moving it; a driving-spindle adapted to turn in a bearing in the said movable bridge; a connecting device having a transverse sectional area smaller than, and a superficial area larger than the transverse sectional area of the driving-spindle; and means for engaging that device from or engaging it with the quill.

3. The hereinbefore-described combination of fixed bridge-piece; a series of quills adapted to turn in bearings therein; a movable bridge piece parallel with the said fixed bridge-piece; fixed supports on which it can be moved away from or toward the said fixed bridge-piece; mechanism for so moving it; a series of driving-spindles each one coaxial with its respective quill and adapted to turn in bearings in the said movable bridge; and a connecting device between each drivingspindle and its quill adapted to hold the latter either in gear or out of gear with the former, such connecting device having a transverse sectional area smaller, and a superficial area larger than the transverse sectional area of the driving-spindle.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our joint invention We have signed our names in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN PLACE. CHARLES WALTER PASHLEY.

Witnesses:

THOMAS TAYLOR, JOHN EDWARD STANLEY. 

